Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 12 Rhagfyr 1973.
Mr Robert Hughes
, Aberdeen North
12:00,
12 Rhagfyr 1973
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had against public expenditure cuts in Scotland; and what replies he has sent.
Mr Gordon Campbell
, Moray and Nairnshire
None, Sir.
Mr Robert Hughes
, Aberdeen North
Is it not a fact that every area in Scotland is suffering severe cuts in terms of expenditure on hospital development and on the development of services for the elderly, following his circular advising authorities not to put any further work out to contract? Is the Minister aware that many people in Scotland feel that things will be held back even more? Will he give an assurance that local authorities will lift the embargo on new contracts from 1st January?
Mr Gordon Campbell
, Moray and Nairnshire
The answer to the first part of the question is "No"; this is not a question of severe cuts in different parts of Scotland. Because of the overheating of the construction industry, it was arranged that there should be a re-phasing in the last quarter of this year. Projects will go forward in the New Year under arrangements to be made.
Mr Dick Douglas
, Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
Will the right hon. Gentleman, without anticipating the Government's white paper on public expenditure, pay regard to the fact that the philosophy of public expenditure has been related to a high and sustained growth rate? Will he bear in mind the worry of many people that high and sustained public expenditure may be endangered if we move into a zero or negative growth situation? What, in the circumstances, would be the right hon. Gentleman's attitude in the Cabinet?
Mr Gordon Campbell
, Moray and Nairnshire
That would be breaching the confidentiality of Cabinet proceedings—and I cannot answer a question concerning a hypothetical situation, although it is an interesting one. We recognised that in many areas the construction industry was not able to meet the dates which were in view, and to make sure that tenders were reasonable it was necessary to carry out a rephasing.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
